2 c. melted butter (4 sticks)
2 c. brown sugar (loosely packed)
1 c. white sugar (granulated)
2 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork)
2 t. vanilla
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cream of tartar (critical!)
1 t. salt
4 1/4 c. white flour (not sifted)

Dough-ball rolling mixture:

1/2 c. white sugar
1 t. cinnamon

Melt the butter. Add the sugars and mix. Let the mixture cool to room temperature while you beat the eggs, and then stir them in. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar, and sat. Mix well. Add flour in increments, mixing after each addition.

Use your hands to roll the dough into walnut-sized balls. (If dough is too sticky, chill for an hour before rolling.)

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl to make the dough-ball rolling mixture. (Mixing it with a fork works nicely.) Roll the dough balls in the mixture, then place them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet. Flatten the dough balls with a greased or floured spatula.

Bake at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes. (They should have a touch of gold around the edges.) Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then remove the cookies to a rack to finish cooling.

Yield: Approximately 8 dozen, depending on cookie size.

Hannah's note: Lisa loves these cookies - it's the only time I've seen her eat a half-dozen of anything at one sitting.

My thoughts on the recipe: If you love Snickerdoodles (and I do), you're going to enjoy this recipe since Cinnamon Crisps are basically crispy Snickerdoodles. They're not crispy like hard, but crispy like delicate, and only around the edges. The centers are all moist, buttery yum-ness. I loved these, as did my children, at least one of whom said, "These are the best cookies you've ever made, Mom!" They're easy to make and always turn out nicely - what's not to love?

(Note: This recipe was used by permission from Joanne Fluke. The photo was snapped by yours truly.)

(Note: Although the books in Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series work quite well as standalones, I'm reading them in order. Thus, while this review will not contain spoilers for Lemon Meringue Pie Murder, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier books. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

In order to enjoy Fluke's cozy, culinary mysteries, there's a little mantra I have to repeat to myself before opening one:

• Even though our cookie-baking heroine talks, acts and dresses like a frumpy 65-year-old, Hannah Swensen is supposed to be in her late 20s. So what if she doesn't own a cell phone, wears elastic-waisted slacks to work, and dates a guy named Norman? She's not even 30! Just accept it already.


• No small town has as many murders as Lake Eden, Minnesota. Nor do real cops allow ordinary citizens to interview witnesses, creep around crime scenes, and chase down killers. Just sayin'.


• Lake Eden's finest are the naivest, most bumbling police officers on Earth - if Hannah Swensen wasn't around to guide them toward clues, motives and possible suspects, they would never solve a crime.


• Just because I have the mysteries figured out by Chapter 2 doesn't mean I can't enjoy Fluke's books for their light, fun, mostly clean content.